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This weekend we will celebrate two important saints in the life of the Church of New York: St. Patrick, our patron saint, and St. Joseph, the husband of Mary and foster father of Jesus.

These two feasts underscore the fact that the Church of New York is essentially a church of immigrants.

St. Patrick is one of the patron saints of Ireland, and when the Irish Catholics immigrated to the United States in the 19th century they brought with them their devotion to this great 5th century saint.  Patrick immigrated to Ireland from his home in Britain and is credited with bringing Christianity to that country.  When New York’s first cathedral was dedicated in 1815, old St. Patrick’s on Mott Street, the diocese was placed under the patronage of St. Patrick.  To this day St. Patrick’s day is a huge celebration for our city.  St. Patrick’s feast day is March 17th.  Below is the famous prayer called the “Breastplate of St. Patrick.”

The second feast we celebrate this time of year is the Feast of St. Joseph on March 19th.  Joseph barely needs an introduction.  He was immensely important in welcoming the Son of God into the world and protecting His mother Mary.  Joseph is remembered for his strength, obedience, faith and his simplicity.  Joseph is the silent saint.  In the gospels we never hear Joseph speak.  All we know about him is that he was a carpenter who was engaged to Mary.  When Mary was found to be pregnant he trusted the angel’s message and married her despite the fact that the child wasn’t his.  Joseph’s life wasn’t always easy.  He had to migrate to Egypt to protect his family, and then live in fear that enemies of Jesus might still seek the child’s life.  And yet Joseph lived a simple life:  he was a husband, a father, and a worker.  His life resembles the lives most of us live: quite, normal lives striving to do the will of God.  Maybe it is for this reason that he was named the patron saint of the universal Church.  In many catholic countries, St. Joseph’s day is also celebrated as “Father’s day.”  In New York, devotion to this great saint was brought from Europe by the mass waves of immigrants from Italy in the late 19th and early 20th century.

May St. Patrick and St. Joseph, whose devotions were carried to the new world in the hearts of immigrants fleeing from poverty and oppression pray for immigrants today who come to our shores seeking refuge and opportunity.  And may these great saints, who were immigrants themselves, pray for us that those of us who are established here may welcome with open hearts the newly arrived immigrants in our midst.

Here is the famous Breastplate of St. Patrick, a prayer attributed to the Saint who lived in the 5th century.

I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through belief in the Threeness,
Through confession of the Oneness
of the Creator of creation.

Goal for St. Francis Church (#068): $98,500

Donations as of March 10: $15,270

Number of Donors: 41

Average Donation: $372.44

Catholic Education either through Catholic Schools or Parish Religious Education Programs has always been a priority for the church. The Archdiocese of New York provides training and ongoing education for those involved with the education of our young people. The Cardinal’s Appeal supports this important mission of the church.

Please send your gift to The Cardinal’s Appeal, 1011 First Avenue, NY, NY 10022.

And please indicate that your parish is the Church of St. Francis of Assisi, Manhattan.

On this, the Third Sunday of Lent, we hear the Gospel of Jesus as he encounters a Samaritan woman at a well. It is an interesting dialogue in addition to the fact that Jesus, a Jew, is talking in public to a woman who is a Samaritan. This is also interesting because he is talking with her at a time of the day when women normally do not go to the well for water; they go in the morning. After the conversation, she returns to the village and tells about her encounter with “this man.” This causes many to come to believe in Jesus. Nothing can stop Jesus from fulfilling his mission from bringing good news to the various kinds of people that he encounters in the places where he travels. Nothing can stop him.

What about us as we continue the mission of Jesus?

We recently had a situation in our Adult Education building that made it necessary to make an unexpected decision. Several of the large windows in the building began to show their age by becoming dislodged from their casings. Some even fell out. Although we could fix them temporarily, it would only be a matter of time when something else might happen. Therefore, we decided to replace all 33 windows in the building since they had all been installed at the same time years ago. New windows are currently being installed, thanks to the promptness of the window company. Of course, this is an unexpected expense. The total cost is $33,000. We have some emergency funds available, but we could use help in paying for this expense. A few extra dollars in the collection or an outright gift (online is a possibility) would be greatly appreciated. These old buildings have served us well over the years, but they need our constant attention. Thank you for helping us with this situation.

-Fr. Andrew Reitz, O.F.M.

It may seem odd to hear the Gospel of the Transfiguration of Jesus during Lent. Wouldn’t it fit better after Easter? An answer is found a few verses after our Gospel selection. Jesus tells the disciples that he will suffer (Mt. 17:12). The vision of Jesus’ glory shared by Peter, James, and John was meant to help them not to become discouraged by Jesus’ death on the cross. Some of the details in the Gospel can help us understand how Lent leads to Easter. First, we hear about Jesus’ appearance, that “his face shone like the sun” (Mt. 17:2). If the disciples didn’t believe that Jesus was the Son of God before, they surely did now. For us this can be a reminder that God is with us during this season of Lent, helping our faith to grow.

Next, the three disciples see Moses and Elijah, symbols of the Old Testament. Peter wants them to stay, but the voice of God interrupts and tells them that now they should listen to Jesus. The Gospel tells us to keep our eyes on Jesus throughout Lent. Do I grumble about Lent, seeing it is as another set of laws to be obeyed? Perhaps I’m forgetting that Lent is not about how much I do for God, but a time to reflect on what God has done for me. The last line of the Gospel has Jesus telling the three not to tell anyone about their vision until after his resurrection. Maybe the disciples were tempted to brag that they were better than the other followers of Jesus. This reminds us that the sacrifices of Lent don’t just make us look holy; they lead us to the new life of Easter.